Have a Little Faith [Mavis Staples]

1. Step into the Light2. Pops Recipe3. Have a Little Faith4. God Is Not Sleeping5. Dying Man's Plea, A6. Ain't No Better Than You7. I Wanna Thank You8. I Still Believe in You9. At the End of the Day10. There's a Devil on the Loose11. In Times Like These12. Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Personnel: Mavis Staples (vocals); Mavis Staples; Jim Tullio (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, background vocals); John Martyn, Will Crosby (guitar); Jim Weider (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); David Onderdonk (acoustic guitar); David Resnik (electric guitar, slide guitar); John Rice (electric guitar, dobro, bouzouki, fiddle); Bill Ruppert, John Giblin, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Mark Skyer (electric guitar); Lew London (slide guitar, acoustic slide guitar); John Scully (strings, synthesizer); Paul Mertens (harmonica); Chris "Hambone" Cameron (baritone saxophone, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer organ); Richard Gibbs (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Maurice Houston (bass guitar); Mark Walker (drums, percussion); Hank (Henry Dog) Guaglianone, Larry Beers (drums); Greg Marsh (percussion); Yvonne Gage, Michael Scott, Rob Leonard, Rene Monahan, Lyndon Jones, William Bright, Homesick James Williamson, Ira Tucker, Stevie Robinson, Arno Lucas, Shawn Christopher (background vocals); Tim Austin (drums).Audio Mixers: Jim Tullio; Michael Newman ; Scott Steiner; Shelly Yakus.Liner Note Author: Dave Hoekstra.Recording information: Chi-Bone Studios; Chicago recording Company; Gravity Studios; Hornyold Road, England; Scullville Studios; Smartalecmusic; Studio M; The Toolshed.Photographer: Paul Natkin.Arranger: Roebuck "Pops" Staples.If ever there were a time for Mavis Staples to return to recording, 2004 is it. Her tenure with her family's group the Staple Singers led by her late father Pops offered a steadying, positive presence on the pop scene during the late antiwar unrest and civil rights struggles of the 1960s through the 1970s. They offered up notions of personal responsibility, dignity, and spiritual hope in a heady and uncertain time. Have a Little Faith is a stellar collection of bluesy folk gospel and classic soul grooves recorded for modern times. Staples co-produced with Jim Tullio, who has also worked with John Martyn (who makes a cameo here) and Richie Havens. The album is subtle, laden with beautiful dark grooves, moody guitars, organic percussion, and B-3 and Rhodes piano. One can feel the presence and influence of Pops on these sides. He was a musician who understood that the empty spaces left on a record were as important as the music. Tullio gives Staples' gorgeous, grainy contralto a lot of room to weave its own magic amid the wonderfully warm, down-home swirl of the band. The album opener, "Step into the Light," was written by Robi Draco Rosa, Tullio, and Staples and features Martyn on guitar. The Delta blues acoustic slide feel that accompanies Staples at the beginning of the tune is counteranchored by Chris Cameron's clavinet and the backing vocals of the Dixie Hummingbirds. The title cut comes right from Stax/Volt in its beautifully articulated guitar lines and a combination of B-3 and Wurlitzer. But it's Staples' voice with its welcoming conviction and certainty that soars: "There's evil all around us/We got to rise above/Got to fight the good fight/With that war with love/Hold on, hold on/Help is on the way/There's a better tomorrow/I can feel it today." What's amazing is that you believe her. Her reworking of the great Delta tune "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" (with additional lyrics by Pops) is as storefront church as it gets. The message tunes, like "Ain't No Better Than You" and "At the End of the Day," are the gritty soul and funk tunes that are desperately needed right now, and the kind of songs that used to come bursting from the AM and FM dials by major and marginal artists alike. A Chicago choir aids Staples and the band on "In Times Like These," written by Tullio and LeRoy Marinell; even R. Kelly couldn't deliver a tune as inspirational as this one. There's nothing overblown about it's all-heavy, heart-lifting soul. The set ends with the first tune the Staples ever sang and recorded, a bare-bones, deep blues rendering of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," with acoustic slide guitars, a bass harmonica, and hand percussion with a Wurlitzer backing Staples' understated yet devastatingly emotional performance. Have a Little Faith is a glorious return for Staples and is capable of inspiring those who are lucky enough to encounter it. ~ Thom Jurek

Critic Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.176) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Staples shows sheer vocal authority, and she can still deliver a spine-chilling 'amen.'"Uncut (p.140) - 3 stars out of 5 -"[A] minor gem. A good band and decent songs bring out the best in her still-smouldering voice."Down Beat (p.76) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "The production is fresh throughout and Staples' throaty vocals remain unparalleled."Living Blues (pp.38-9) - "[S]he warns, cajoles, encourages, and challenges us in a voice both rich with wisdom and redolent with the light of faith..."Mojo (Publisher) (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]ts dozen mostly self-penned tracks comprise a solid set that combines the uplift of Staples' Stax-era soul with flashes of the searching, spooky gospel of the group's Vee-Jay years. Worth the wait."